Do You Believe in Magic?
by SillyKwado
Summary: When Berwald, Tino, and Peter go to live with Mathias, they didn't know what to expect. What can you expect from a person who you've hardly met before and was a witch? Toads, a creepy house, and a strange cat? Well, only one of those things was right. Hanatama-family focused! Light SuFin and DenNor. bad summary...
1. Chapter 1: The Witch

Chapter 1: The Witch

"Mama, why did we have to move again?" Peter asked for the tenth time from the backseat of the car.

Berwald gave a sideways glance to his "wife" in the passenger's seat.

"Peter, we already told you," Tino sighed. "We're moving for your Papa's job."

"But it looks like to middle of nowhere!" Peter complained looking out of the window at nothing but trees and forest.

"That's because your uncle doesn't like to live in the city."

"Why? And how come I've never met him before?"

Tino shrugged and looked at Berwald helplessly.

"Mathias is secretive an' he doesn't like ta leave his house… he's afrai' someone migh' break in while he's gone," Berwald answered.

"Is that because he's a witch?" Peter asked. He's known about his uncle's occupation for a while but he's never even met the guy. He's not supposed to even tell anybody about his mysterious Uncle Mathias, not that anybody will believe him anyway.

"That's right!" Tino said turning around in the car to face Peter. "Which means he's probably very busy and shouldn't be bothered. And especially don't touch anything that's not yours! Who knows what's in his house?" Tino glanced at Berwald who just shook his head. Berwald hasn't visited his brother in years. In fact, last year, they only talked to each other three times over the phone!

The rest of the car ride was in silence while Peter sulkily looked out of the window. Why did he have to leave behind his school and his friends to live with some uncle out in the middle of nowhere? He probably didn't even know any real magic… after all, it wasn't real… right?

The car took a right onto a dirt road into a denser part of the forest. Peter shrunk back from the window slightly and silently gasped. Even though it was the middle of the day, it suddenly got dark from the thickness of the trees. Just where were they anyway?

Like Peter, Tino was in a similar state of panic. He was extremely worried about meeting Mathias. Sure, he met him once at their wedding, but Mathias didn't say too much to him. He was especially worried about raising his son in such a place. Oh what was he thinking agreeing to Berwald's suggestion of living with his witch of a brother?

Berwald was driving along the winding path slowly. It was unfamiliar to him as he had never visited his brother before. He never knew his brother lived in such a creepy place. Mathias was never really into following the "witch stereotype", so he hadn't expected this.

Finally, the car broke out of the dense part of the forest revealing a quaint, two-story white house in a clearing. It looked well cared for since the hedges were neatly trimmed to perfection, not a leaf out of place. There was a red truck parked in the grass next the driveway and the dense forest surrounded the yard of the house.

Berwald pulled the car up to the house, next to the truck.

"Finally!" Peter cried jumping out of the car and stretching. He spun around in a slow circle looking around at the house and the forest and just taking in his new home. Then out of the corner of his eye he saw a flash of electric blue from one of the windows on the second-story, but when he turned his head, it was gone. Peter shivered. He could've sworn they were eyes…

"Peter!" Tino called. "Come help with the bags!"

"Coming Mama!"

Peter ran over to the trunk and Tino handed his son some of the lighter bags.

"Berwald!" came a voice as the screen door slammed shut. A tall, blonde man came out of the house wearing… normal clothes. In fact, he looked like a completely normal person. Then again, maybe that's how witches dressed these days?

"How ya been brother?" the man said excitedly as he swung his arms around Berwald for a tight hug.

Berwald coughed awkwardly as he was let go and Mathias continued smiling at the younger brother.

"Good. Thank ya fer lettin' us stay with ya, Mathias," Berwald said.

"It's not a problem! My house is plenty big enough! Too big actually!" Mathias added with a laugh then he looked at Tino and Peter.

"Mathias, ya remember Tino?" Berwald said nodding to his "wife".

"Course I do!" Mathias exclaimed. He grasped Tino's outstretched hand for an enthusiastic handshake.

"It's nice to see you again, Marthias," Tino said with a smile.

"Same," Mathias grinned. Then he turned to Peter.

"And this is our son, Peter," Berwald introduced. "Peter, this is yer Uncle Mathias."

"Nice ta meet ya kiddo!" Mathias said ruffling Peter's hair which almost felt like he was receiving tiny electric sparks. It didn't hurt, but it was just weird. It felt kind of like rubbing a balloon against your head. He felt statically charged.

Peter blinked in confusion as the feeling gradually went away when Mathias started to walk away.

"Come on in! Leave the bags! I'll get 'em later!" Mathias said with a dismissing wave and started to walk back into the house.

Tino and Peter looked at Berwald unsurely, who just shrugged and set down the bags on the ground.

"Come on, he'll ge' tha bags," Berwald repeated. The small family followed Mathias into his house.

The first thing they noticed was that the house smelled of cinnamon apples and freshly baked bread. The living room was very neat and homely. There weren't anything in the entire room that suggested that Mathias was a witch.

"Welcome to my humble abode!" Mathias said stretching out his arms and walking into the middle of the living room.

"Humble? Yeah righ'," Berwald snorted and nodding towards to giant Viking axe hanging on the wall.

"Hey…" Mathias pouted. "That's been passed down in our family for generations! Gotta display it proudly!"

Berwald rolled his eyes and shook his head teasingly.

"Anyway! Who's ready for the grand tour?" Mathias said with a smile.

"Sure! Sounds great!" Tino said.

"What about you, kiddo?" Mathias asked Peter with a wink.

"Doesn't look like a witch's home," Peter said honestly (and a little bit disappointedly). Tino looked appalled at Peter's rudeness and Mathias threw back his head and laughed.

"Yeah, I'm not really into the whole cobwebs and sacrificing thing," Mathias joked with a wink. "But maybe I can find somethin' interestin' fer ya, hm?"

"Anyway, this is the dining room," Mathias said walking into the room that was open next to the living room. "And the kitchen." He nodded towards to the right. There were plants all over the kitchen that crowded the windowsill, hung from the ceiling, and were planted in pots by the door that led to the backyard. They looked like they were different herbs, but Peter and Tino couldn't make much out of it.

"Not sure if I'll have all of the fancy appliances you guys might be used to, but I try my best to keep up," Mathias said with a shrug. "And the bathroom is through that door on the right… there's a washer and dryer in there too, but I don't use it too much. You're welcome to of course."

He backtracked the family to the living room and stopped in front of some stairs leading to the second floor.

"Up there is the bedrooms. I'll show you that in a minute, but first…" Mathias went over to the door next to the stairs. He stood there for a moment, lightly caressing the doorknob. Finally, he turned around to face the family with a serious look.

"You must _never_ set foot in here, understand?" Mathias said sternly.

Peter and Tino nodded obediently and Berwald just rolled his eyes.

"Good," Mathias said before his face broke out into a grin and he laughed. "I'm just kiddin'! I don't care if ya go in here!"

"What's in it?" Peter asked.

"Oh, it's where I do my spellwork," Mathias said with a shrug. "Honestly, I don't care if ya go in, but I'd prefer if you not touch anything, especially since you guys don't know what yer touchin'. I have ingredients an' stuff in there. If ya wanna borrow somethin', say eye of a newt or something, you can. Just so long as you replace it."

Tino made a face and Peter looked at Mathias with wide-eyes.

"Can I see?" he asked excitedly.

"Sure!" Mathias said opening the door revealing a set of stairs that led into the basement.

"Here's the light switch," Mathias said flipping on the switch that lit up the wooden staircase and the basement room. "Don't want anyone tripping and falling… it probably wouldn't be very fun."

The room was much brighter than what you'd envision for a "witch's room". There was a stack of books stacked haphazardly in one corner and multiple jars and boxes on the numerous shelves. Some had labels, others didn't. Tino definitely saw the "eye of newts" there though and paled considerably. There were multiple candles scattered throughout the room but were unlit, since the room was already lit up by the electric, hanging light. On one of the tables was a large book sitting by itself. And finally, in the middle of the room, on the wooded floor, was a painted white circle with several symbols next to it.

"Wow!" Peter breathed and tried to walk further into the room but his mama grabbed onto his shoulder tightly. Tino didn't want his son just walking into such a dangerous room, especially with that circle in the middle. Who knows what it'd do?

"Mama!" Peter complained.

"Just stay here Peter," Tino said quietly.

Mathias walked into the middle of the room looking around proudly at the room he's worked in for many years. He grinned back at the family who were staring in awe at his pride and joy. Well, not Berwald. He's seen this all before. Not this room, of course, but one just like it when they were kids.

"Well, whaddya think?" Mathias asked with a grin, especially to the boy who looked so excited to see it.

"Awesome!" Peter breathed. "What's that?" he asked pointing to the painted circle on the floor.

"That's my Sphere. It's a special way to channel my magical energy, making it easier for spellwork. I really only use it when I'm creating new spells anymore. I betcha remember this, huh Berwald?" Mathias gave a mischievous grin and Berwald frowned at his brother.

"It wasn't funny."

"You're right… it was hilarious!" Mathias laughed.

"What happened!?" Peter asked practically bouncing up and down in his spot.

"Nothin'," Berwald quickly said with a blush.

"Oh, well he was havin' trouble with a girl in his class, what's her name?" Mathias said finally after calming down. When Berwald stubbornly refused to answer, Mathias continued on with his story. "Anyway, he came to cryin', 'Mathias! Mathias! Ya gotta help me! There's this girl in my class an' she's _reaaallly_ cute! What should I do?' So, I gave him a spell that would inspire confidence."

"Ya call tha' 'inspiring confidence'?" Berwald accused with a glare and Mathias gave an innocent smile back.

"Well, it did…"

"Ya dyed m' hair brigh' pink!"

"We were like 7, cut me some slack! Geez…"

"Ya knew exactly wha' ya were doin'!"

Mathias laughed slightly and wiped a stray tear from his eye. "Yeah, that was great…"

Berwald shook his head.

"Wow!" Peter cried. "Really? That happened!? Can you show me some magic, uncle?"

Mathias laughed slightly. "Sure, but maybe later. I still haveta show you guys the rest of the house!"

"Aw…" Peter pouted but followed the adults back upstairs anyway.

They went up to the second floor and Mathias pointed to the first room on the right. "This one's my room. And that one," he pointed to the door straight ahead. "Is Peter's, if he wants it…"

Peter looked at his parents questioningly and they nodded for him to go ahead. He ran over to the door and opened it.

Inside were his bags and boxes from the car already lying in the middle of the room next to the bed. Peter looked at Mathias who rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"I, uh, already brought up your bags. Hope ya didn't mind. Berwald, Tino, you guys' are already in yer room too." He pointed to the door to the left of Peter's.

"How'd you get it up here already?" Peter asked. Mathias was with them the entire time! And he was pretty sure nobody else lived in this house with him.

Mathias raised an eyebrow amused. "Magic," he laughed.

Peter gaped at him and then smiled. "You _have_ to show me!"

Mathias laughed. "Don't worry. I'm sure you'll see plenty of magic while you're living here with me."

* * *

Notes: Witches

There aren't very many witches in the world. Magic has to be in the blood in order for a person to wield its power, and this is hereditary. Often times, it skips generations as well. Berwald, for example, cannot use magic nor their parents, but Mathias and their grandma could. Most witches turn out to use their magic for practical things like good luck charms, warding, and on nature. There are a few witches who use their magic for killing and cursing. When they use dark magic like that, they become corrupt and their magic becomes uncontrollable and wild, and sometimes ends up turning on the witches themselves. Very few non-magical people know about the existence of witches and magic.

* * *

A/N

So, after each chapter I'm going to put a section of notes where I'll put information about a specific topic. Next chapter will be about magic. I do this because I put alot of thought into this story but I'm not able to put all the little technical details in. So if you're interested, there's a bit more at the end of each chapter :P

This story will mainly be a little silly and cute, but there will be some serious parts! So be warned! Nothing too horrible but with power comes a price.

There will be, for sure, six chapters total. I've already written up to 5, so the updates shouldn't be too far apart!

Hope you liked the story so far! It will get funnier with the next chapter! :D Tell me what you think!


	2. Chapter 2: The Cat

Chapter 2: The Cat

It's been a week since the little family started living with Mathias. For the most part, they have adapted well. Mathias lives a surprisingly basic and normal life. He doesn't use his magic too often and when he does it's usually in the basement when Peter and Tino aren't nearby. It's not that he's afraid or anything, he just generally doesn't like the attention he receives from using his magic.

The only problem with living Mathias, the family found out, was the house. It was a bright and cheery house, not a spider in sight like Mathias said. However they constantly got the feeling of being watched whenever they were near the house. It didn't matter if they were inside or outside. It's even beginning to disturb Berwald, who was usually used to strange vibes and other supernatural things.

Tino was the first to crack under the pressure. He finally told Berwald about the feeling and asked about it.

"It's probably jus' some protection spell on tha house," Berwald replied. Of course he had been wondering the same thing for a while.

"Could you please just ask him anyway?" Tino pleaded. He didn't want to confront the witch about it and risk being turned into a frog! Could Mathias even do that anyway?

"Ja…" Berwald said finally. "I'll ask."

"Thank you," Tino breathed relieved.

Berwald nodded and made his way to the kitchen where Mathias was boiling a pot of… something… It looked like grass, but it was probably from the plants he grew in the kitchen.

"Mathias," Berwald started. "Can I talk ta ya?"

"One… second…" Mathias muttered distractedly as he added something from his hand to the boiling pot. He grabbed a weed (well, it looked like a weed…) and stirred the contents of the pot with it three times. Then he sniffed it and nodded to himself before turned to face his brother. "Okej, what's up?"

Berwald narrowed his eyes at the pot on the stove. "Wha's tha'?"

"This?" Mathias asked pointing to the pot. "It's a new garlic-herb chicken recipe I want to try for dinner tonight, why? You not feeling up to poultry today?"

"Uh… no… sounds fine," Berwald said distractedly.

Mathias gave a crooked smile and raised an eyebrow. "Somehow I don't think chicken is tha reason yer lookin' for me."

"Ja…" Berwald started uncomfortably. "Look Mathias, d'ya have some sort of protection spell on tha house er somethin'? We keep feelin' like we're bein' watched…"

Mathias thought for a moment before saying, "No… well, I mean, I do have protection and warding spells on the house, but they're like minor ones. Nothing that would cause discomfort in the least."

Berwald furrowed his eyebrows. The feeling was too real and persistent to be something from their imaginations.

"Although," started Mathias thoughtfully. "It could be Lu…"

"Lu?" Berwald repeated.

"Yeah, my familiar!" Mathias said with a smile. "I told you about him on the phone a few months ago!"

Berwald remembered slightly something about Mathias mentioning a familiar but he was in the middle of work so hadn't been paying attention at the time.

"But we haven't seen anybody like tha' tha entire time?" Berwald asked.

"Well, yeah, he's a cat," Mathias said rolling his eyes as if it was obvious. "He's probably just hiding somewhere. He's kind of shy."

"A cat?"

"Yep! A real cutie too!"

"Right…"

Berwald nodded his thanks to his brother and left him to continue his… cooking… or whatever he was doing. The Swede went back to Tino who was still in the study upstairs, doing his work. Tino looked at him expectantly when he entered the room.

"Did you ask?" Tino quickly asked.

Berwald nodded. "Sai' it was probably his familiar – a cat."

"A cat? Really? But I haven't seen a single sign of a cat living here…?"

Berwald just shrugged. "I don't know. I didn't even know he had a cat."

"A cat! Really!? Can I see!?" exclaimed Peter from the doorway.

"Peter! Don't eavesdrop onto other peoples' conversations!" Tino scolded lightly.

"Sorry Mama, but is there really a cat?" Peter asked excitedly.

Berwald shrugged. "No' sure, ask Mathias though ta see-" Peter quickly left the room and ran downstairs before Berwald could even finish. "-him."

"Uncle Mathias!" Peter cried sliding on the hard flooring of the kitchen with socked feet. "Do you really have a cat!?"

Mathias chuckled and turned around to see his nephew brimming with excitement.

"He's not a cat, he's a familiar. But yes," Mathias laughed.

"Can I see!?" Peter begged. He didn't even know Mathias had any animals! It would've made this past week a whole lot less boring!

"Em, I don't know. He's a bit shy…" Mathias trailed off as he saw Peter's face fall in disappointment. "Well, let's what we can do hm?" Mathias walked over to a cabinet a pulled out a small can of tuna. He opened it with a can opener and gave it to Peter.

"Set this on tha ground in tha living room and see if he comes out," Mathias said and Peter nodded enthusiastically. The boy took the can into the next room and set it on the floor, crouching beside it.

After about a minute, Peter looked up at his uncle in confusion and said, "I don't think it's working…"

Mathias hummed in thought and crouched beside him. "Try callin' him."

"Kitty!" Peter called, nudging the open can forward some. "C'mere kitty, kitty! Got some nice tuna for ya!"

_Kitty?_ Mathias heard Lukas incredulously echo within his thoughts. _Oh hell no._

_C'mon Lu, _Mathias thought back to his familiar. _Just entertain the kid._

_I'm not his plaything!_

_I didn't say you were, _Mathias quickly responded. _He's just so excited to meet ya. C'mon, he's a good kid. Besides, there's tuna… your favorite._

_. . . I'm not going to enjoy it._

_Sure, whatever you say. _Mathias smiled and rolled his eyes halfheartedly.

_Make him stop with the 'kitty' first._

_Alright, alright._

"Hey Peter," Mathias said, getting the boy's attention. "Try callin' him by his name – Lukas."

"Oh! Okay!" Peter said. "C'mere Lukas! Here Lukey, Luke!"

Mathias had to repress a snicker at his familiar's groan. After a few more calls from Peter, bright blue eyes shone out from underneath the couch. Mathias grinned and nudged Peter lightly and nodded towards the direction of the couch. Peter gasped and smiled broadly. He pushed the can of tuna forward some more and said in a quieter voice, "Here Lukas. Tuna."

_I am not to be tempted by food,_ Lukas snarled but stalked forward out of the shadow of the couch anyway.

_Sure you're not,_ Mathias agreed jokingly.

He was a beautiful, long-coated cat – a Norwegian Forest Cat technically. His coat was a blotchy mixture of dark brown and golden blond. He had a white stripe down his nose that went around his jaw and covered his belly and front paws. He had some longer fur hanging over his right electrifying-blue eye.

Lukas hesitantly took a few steps forward before stopping and staring at the stairs where Berwald and Tino were emerging from. He hissed lightly when Tino noticed him and gasped.

Peter looked over to where Lukas was looking and said, "Mama, Papa, back up! You're going to scare him!"

Berwald and Tino took a step back and Mathias snickered lightly at how serious Peter was taking this.

"Come here, Lukey. They won't hurt ya," Peter cooed.

_Of course some puny _humans_ couldn't hurt me, _Lukas scoffed.

"Be nice, Luke," Mathias admonished lightly outloud.

The three humans looked at Mathias in surprise and confusion.

"Can you talk to him, Uncle Mathias?" Peter asked.

"Sure, he's my familiar. We got a bond," he said with a grin and a wink. Lukas rolled his eyes and went back to eyeing the tuna can.

"Can you tell him that we're nice?"

"Well, he can understand you himself, but sure. Why not?" Mathias said with a shrug. _Ya heard him, they're nice._

_Shut it. I have ears, I can listen. _And Lukas hissed lightly at his annoying witch. Then he leisurely walked over to the can and began to eat the food.

Peter grinned and slowly reached forward with his right hand to gently brush the silky fur on Lukas's back. The familiar froze when he felt a hand that wasn't the magical-energized one of his witch's. When the hand continued to pet his fur, Lukas relaxed and continued eating.

He had to admit, it felt really good. He loved it whenever his fur was brushed or petted, not that he'd _ever_ tell anybody that. Luckily, Mathias always did it subconsciously anyway, no matter how much Lukas protested and complained.

_Lukas, you're purring,_ Mathias's laugh broke through the pleasure clouding Lukas' head. The cat glared up at the annoying witch and hissed before nudging the small hand to keep going.

Peter's eyes lit up when Lukas pushed his head into the palm of his hand, and he continued with the petting.

"That means he likes ya," Mathias said with a smile and nudging the boy next to him with his shoulder.

* * *

Notes: Magic

By themselves, witches aren't very powerful, so they'll usually team up with a familiar (which I'll explain more about that bond at the end of chapter 5). Generally, they need the help of either (or a combination) of their familiars, chanting, physical spellwork, and/or their book. Familiars are more of an amplifier of the witches' magic. They can help with the casting and can use their own magic too, but it's more powerful if combined with the witch's. Chanting the spell aloud, while not required for it to work, does make sure it's working properly. A witch should always chant new or difficult spells aloud to avoid backfire, even with the help of a familiar. Familiars tend to chant their spells more than witches. Drawing out the spell in chalk or paint, helps to keep a new or difficult spell controlled. Every witch generally has a Circle. Mathias' Circle is in his basement. The Circle has a lot of basic spellwork and is usually used for when witches are creating or trying new spells. When a young witch is learning magic, the Circle is where they'd go for practicing and using magic. Mathias doesn't need to use it for basic things, since he's more experienced.

* * *

A/N

Okei! Sorry if the notes on magic was confusing... it'll probably make more sense later on in the story. Anyway, I loved this chapter xD I thought it was cute with Lukas xD

Something that was pointed out to me earlier, witches are not only girls in this story. Witches can be male or female. It's not restricted by gender, only the presence of magic in the blood. Wizards are completely different from witches (not that you'll ever need to know because you'll never meet a wizard in this story), but while witches use the energy in nature and familiars for their magic, wizards use a different kind of magic. Their magic is more geared towards electricity and mechanical things. Wizards don't have familiars either.

Anyway, sorry if you thought this chapter was boring... or I don't know... lol Chapter 5 is almost complete and then I'll have one to go! xD

Please tell me what you think! :D

And yeah, Lukas is totally the cat on the cover image xD


	3. Chapter 3: The Protector

Chapter 3: The Protector

"I'm bored Mama!" Peter whined poking Tino's shoulder. Tino was working on his work in the study, since he'd been neglecting his translating work recently due to the move.

"Why don't you go play?" Tino said while quickly looking up a conjugation to make sure he's correct.

Peter sighed and fell on to his back on the carpeted floor. "Cause there's no one to play with. You and Uncle Mathias are working, Papa's at work, and Lukas is hiding somewhere."

"Then… clean your room."

Peter groaned. Who wants to clean their room willingly?

He stared up at the ceiling and moped for a bit before coming up with an idea. He stood up and tapped Tino's arm again.

"Hey, Mama? Can I go outside?"

"I don't know…" Tino said unsurely. "We don't know what's in these woods and I don't want you to go alone."

"Pleaseeeeee!" Peter begged. "I'll be good, promise!"

"Well… go ask your uncle first if the woods are safe…"

"Okay!" The boy ran downstairs and to the basement where his uncle was writing something on a piece of paper while looking at that large book. Peter was unsure of whether to bother his uncle while he was busy with his spellwork, but when Mathias looked over his shoulder and smiled at him, Peter approached the man.

"Uncle Mathias," Peter started resting his arms on the table where Mathias was working. "What's that?"

Mathias looked at his nephew amused. "What?"

"The book. What's it say? It looks old."

"It is," Mathias said looking down fondly at the book that has been in his family for generations. "It holds all the spells our family has ever created. It's very important. Why?"

Peter hummed in thought. "Just wonderin'. So, why is Lu-Lu shy of us?"

Mathias had to repress at barking out a laugh at the nickname Peter had come up for Lukas. The familiar constantly complained about it and refused to answer if Mathias called him that.

"He's just a bit wary of humans," Mathias said as he finished the sigil he was drawing on the sheet of parchment paper. Peter watched Mathias draw circles and symbols on the parchment, similar to the large one on the floor.

"Why?" Peter asked while watching his uncle draw the layout of his spellwork. The boy honestly had no idea what the witch was doing.

"I don't know, he's a bit shy anyway, but he refuses to admit it. So, don't tell him I said that," Mathias said with a wink.

"Okay," said the boy. "Oh, also, Mama said to ask you how safe the woods are. Cuz I wanna go outside."

Mathias paused and thought for a moment. "Hm… pretty safe actually, but it's big and dark. I don't want ya to get lost. So if ya do go outside, only go where you can still see the house, okej?"

"Okay!" Peter said excitedly and ran up the stairs to go outside.

"And put on yer coat!" Mathias called to the running boy.

He shook his head with a laugh and turned back to his spellwork. After a couple more minutes of adding sigils to the parchment paper, he heard a car pull up to the house. It was probably Berwald getting back from work. Looks like he won't be finishing this spell after all today. Besides, he didn't want to be cooped up down here the entire time.

He stretched his back and neck before cleaning up his area on the table, putting away the supplies he used and such. For the last two days he's been working on this spell, feeling a need for it ever since his brother and his family moved in with Mathias. After enchanting the toilet with it, it will automatically flush after anyone uses it. Lukas said it's a "waste of talent" but it's practical! And that's what magic is intended for: practicality!

After cleaning his area, Mathias went upstairs and found Tino asking Berwald about his day. Apparently, Berwald really liked his job here, which made Mathias happy. It meant that his family would stay longer with him! The only downside for Berwald was the drive into town, which Mathias could sympathize with. It was pretty long since Mathias lived quite a bit away.

"How was work Waldy?" Mathias asked clapping his brother on the back. Berwald narrowed his eyes.

"Don' call me tha'. It was fine."

"Good, good. How 'bout you Tino? Got yer translating done?"

Tino gave a half-hearted smile. "Not quite… hey, you wouldn't happen to have some sort of spell that could get rid of headaches do you?"

Mathias rubbed his chin in thought for a moment. "I might…" Then he walked off into the kitchen.

Tino and Berwald watched him walk off then they looked at each other and shrugged.

"Ya have a headache?" Berwald asked concernedly, moving his wife so they could sit on the couch in the living room.

"Yeah, just a little though. Nothing to be too worried about!" Tino quickly reassured but Berwald's frown deepened anyway.

After a few minutes, Mathias came back in holding a cup of steaming hot tea. He gave it to Tino with a quick warning that it was still hot.

Tino took a sip and moaned.

"This is so good! What kind of a spell is it?"

Mathias smiled. "Gramma's special cure-all tea."

Berwald looked at him in surprise. "Ya learned it?"

"Yep! Took me a long time to perfect it, but I think I got it pretty good."

Tino looked at them in confusion. "Wait, you mean this isn't a spell?"

"Nope! Sometimes the best magic is some of Gramma's tea!" Mathias said with a wink. "Nothing works better than that stuff."

Berwald nodded with a fond smile. "I remember havin' it when I had tha flu. I was back ta health in no time."

"Yeah, then I got the flu next," Mathias said with a fake pout. "And Gramma said it was my own fault!"

"It was. Ya kept botherin' me when I was supposed ta be sleepin'."

"Well, I was bored!"

"Yer always bored."

"Am not."

"Are to."

"Am not!"

Tino laughed at the brothers' playful bickering.

"Well, it's very good. Thank you Mathias," Tino said sincerely. His headache was already starting to feel better. Then he turned to Berwald and starting talking to him about something, but Mathias wasn't paying attention anymore.

He had suddenly felt a chill go down his spine and realized couldn't sense Lukas nearby. He narrowed his eyes. Something felt off… and one never ignores a witch's intuition.

Then a wall of panic hit him suddenly. If he had been standing up, he probably would have fallen over. The emotion came from his bond with Lukas.

"Something's wrong," Mathias said seriously, abruptly standing up. He tried to sense where Lukas was but Lukas wasn't making any sense. The only thing he could feel was panic, concernedness, and an overwhelming sense of protectiveness.

Tino and Berwald looked at Mathias with wide eyes.

"What's wrong?" Tino asked.

Mathias shook his head, not answering aloud. _Lukas?_ He tried to ask over the emotion.

Then finally, _Hurt. Fall. Peter._

Mathias' eyes widened at the last word and he paled. "Peter's hurt," he muttered.

_Where?_ he asked urgently.

_Forest. River. Log._

"What? Peter's hurt? How? Where?" Tino panicked, jumping up.

Berwald put a calming hand on his wife's shoulder and looked at Mathias. "Where?" he demanded.

Mathias shook his head and rubbed his temple. "I don't know! Luke isn't making much sense! Something about a river… and a log?"

"A river!?" Tino exclaimed horrified.

"But there isn't a river nearby!" Mathias quickly said, pacing. "There's only that dried up riverbed that sometimes turns into a stream when it rains…" he trailed off with wide eyes. "I know where they are!"

He quickly ran out of the house with Berwald and Tino following after him. He ran through the backyard and into the trees. He ran past bushes and jumped over fallen branches with the others barely keeping up with him. Finally, he reached the part of the small riverbed where a particularly large log stretched across it from the last storm.

Peter laid in the middle of it, with tears rolling down his face and his right leg at an unnatural angle. Lukas was curled up on the boy's chest, glaring up at them.

"Mama!" Peter croaked through his crying.

"Peter!" Tino gasped and tried to rush forward, but Lukas gave off a loud warning hiss and Mathias grabbed Tino's shoulder to prevent him from moving closer to the familiar. Lukas curled his tail around Peter protectively.

"Wait, Tino. Let me," Mathias said, not taking his eyes off of his familiar. It was strange to see Lukas acting this protective over someone who wasn't him. Though it was good that Lukas was finally accepting them as part of his family, but they also needed to tend to Peter as soon as possible.

Mathias slowly inched closer to Lukas, who shifted his glare from Tino to Mathias.

"Calm down, Luke," Mathias muttered soothingly. "I need to check on Peter. It's alright."

The witch approached them and Lukas backed down, though refusing to move from off of the boy's chest. Mathias hovered his hands over Peter's right leg, careful not to touch the wound. He closed his eyes and concentrated, feeling the magical energy harmlessly surge through the leg and back up to him.

"It's broken," Mathias said finally, standing up to face Berwald and Tino. "We'll need to move him back to the house. Berwald?" The younger brother nodded. Mathias quickly picked up his familiar, muttering calming words in a language that Berwald and Tino didn't understand. Berwald carefully picked up his son and they headed back to the house.

"Take him to my room, I'll be up in a second," Mathias said to Berwald as he went into the basement.

Berwald went up and placed Peter gently on the large bed.

"I'm sorry," Peter hiccupped through his tears. "I was playing a-and I fell off the branch. I-I didn't mean to!"

"I know dear," Tino soothed, running his hand through Peter's bangs.

Mathias quickly returned not moments later with Lukas sitting on his shoulder. He quickly went over to stand next to the broken leg. He dipped two fingers from his right hand into a bowl, covering the tips with a thick, dark red-orange liquid. He painted a circle in the air above the leg and painted sigils around it. He muttered some words in the language that he spoke to Lukas in earlier.

The air became statically charged and the lights flickered slightly. Peter watched his uncle work with wide eyes and Tino gripped his son's shoulder in an attempt to comfort (though he was mainly doing it to comfort himself). Berwald watched Mathias work intently. He knew it was something powerful Mathias was conjuring since he rarely needed to draw out the spellwork anymore. Drawing the spell out physically was a way to manifest the magic into the form you wanted it to be in. With simpler and easier spells, a witch is able to easily picture the framework in their mind and not need to draw it out. But with harder or newer spells, a framework is needed so the magic doesn't blow up in your face.

After a few minutes of Mathias muttering in his language and drawing symbols or retracing the horizontal circle in the air, Peter's leg began to glow a bright red-orange, like the color of the liquid but brighter. Peter gasped and tried to move away but his mama was still holding his shoulder down. And gradually, the pain began to disappear.

"It doesn't hurt anymore!" Peter gasped and reached down to touch his leg, but Mathias grabbed his wrist before he could.

"Right, but it's still broken," Mathias said with a weariness in his voice that wasn't there before. "Ya need to stay in bed for the rest of the day, and we'll check up on it tomorrow mornin'."

"So you healed me with a spell?" Peter asked with a growing smile.

"Sorta," Mathias chuckled lightly. "I actually just sped up the body's natural healing process. So, it still needs a few days to recover, but your body will make your bone strong again on its own. It's much safer (and easier) to do it this way, rather than have me go in and actually repair the bone by hand… er by magic."

"Cool!" Peter said, not really completely understanding the witch's explanation. But, hey, he got to see magic!

"Thank you," Tino said sincerely to Mathias. Then he looked at the cat. "And thank you, Lukas. Without you, I… I don't know what could have happened…"

Berwald nodded.

"Yeah! Lu-Lu's a hero!" Peter exclaimed, making grabby hands to the familiar.

Even though nobody else could, Mathias could feel the embarrassment roll off of Lukas through the bond, and he chuckled.

_Cute, fluffy hero~!_ Mathias teased and reached up to pet the familiar still perched on his shoulder.

_S-shut up! _Lukas looked away from everyone.

_I think someone wants you~ _Mathias nodded towards Peter. Lukas humphed and jumped off the shoulder and into the Peter's arms, hitting his tail against Mathias' face on the way.

Mathias just laughed at the familiar's stubbornness and Peter's face lit up as Lukas made himself comfortable. Peter began to happily brush the cat's long fur.

"Pretty kitty~" Peter cooed.

_Make him stop!_ Lukas groaned at the nickname.

"Sorry, Luke. I can't understand you~!" Mathias teased aloud.

Lukas hissed at the witch but didn't move. He was enjoying the boy's attention too much.

"Uh oh, looks like I got replaced!" Mathias laughed as the familiar began to purr lightly and fall asleep.

* * *

Notes: The Book

Every witch has a book. Usually it's large and has many pages filled with spells. The book stores every spell the witch has ever learned and is generally passed down from generation to generation in a family. Like a familiar, is can also help control a witch's power, though not as effectively. It can store power, however, in case the witch needs an extra boost or regenerate magic in a pinch. Nobody but the witches of the same family blood can use the book. If someone were to open a witch's book that wasn't theirs, it'd only show blank pages and the magic stored will not respond. It's a witch's most prized possession.

* * *

A/N

So, yep. I almost didn't upload this chapter until I was satisfied with chapter 5. I mean, it's finished but I wasn't completely happy. Then I realized, what the heck. I'm just gonna upload chapter 5 whether people like it or not. So, if the story takes an unexpected turn, please don't be too harsh. ^^;

Really, though. I'm probably making a big deal out of nothing, so don't worry.

I loved this chapter by the way. xD I love protective Lukas xD But I am determined to finish this story, along with Waterloo, before the end of September! (I know, I've been procrastinating, but I'm trying! xD)

Hope you liked it! Please tell me what you think! :D Thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4: The Visitor

Chapter 4: The Visitor

Mathias made his way to the kitchen where a wonderful smell was wafting from. He rubbed his eyes and yawned.

"What's goin' on?" Mathias asked with a small smile as Tino and Berwald finished making breakfast together.

"Good morning Mathias!" Tino said. "We're making eggs, pancakes, and toast! How are you feeling?"

"Much better, thanks," Mathias said with a smile. Ever since he healed Peter's broken leg, Mathias had been extremely tired. He mostly kept to himself in the basement or was sleeping in random spots in the middle of the day (the couch, the stairs, the porch). But, as promised, Peter's leg only took about 3 and a half days to completely heal. As soon as Mathias deemed him back to health, the boy took Lukas outside to run around and play… much to the familiar's displeasure.

Speak of the devil, Lukas meowed at Mathias from on top of the fridge that the witch was standing next to.

_How does your magic feel?_ Lukas asked in a rare display of concern.

_Almost at full charge,_ Mathias replied with a grin to the familiar.

The familiar tilted his head. _Almost?_

_Don't worry about it. Want a ride?_ Mathias nodded to his shoulder. Lukas humphed but jumped down onto the offered perch anyway.

"Wow! Cool! How'd you do that Uncle? Can you teach me!?" Peter exclaimed from his place at the table. Mathias turned to look at Peter confused and found Berwald and Tino also staring at him.

"What?" he asked and stopped petting the familiar on his shoulder.

"To make Lu do that!" Peter said. "I want him to be on my shoulder too!"

Mathias threw back his laughed hard, causing Lukas to jump off his shoulder in irritation at the jerky shoulder movement.

"I don't think Luke would do that," Mathias said after gaining his breath.

"Yer a bit too little," Berwald said coming over to the table to set down a plate of food.

Peter slumped and pouted, before remembering something he wanted to ask. "Oh yeah! Did you guys hear that last night?" He asked.

"Hear what?" asked Tino in concern.

"The noises," Peter said. "Like, it was after everyone went to bed. I kept hearing creaking and banging, and people talking… well, not really talking. More like crying and groaning. It was kind of scary…"

The three adults in the room immediately paled, thinking about what happened underneath the sheets last night while they _thought _everyone else was asleep.

"Wai' a second, why tha hell are _you_ actin' like tha'?" Berwald said to Mathias.

Mathias blushed and looked away. "Er… no reason…?"

"Someone getting freaky with their cat?" Tino joked.

"He's a familiar!" Mathias huffed with and eye roll, while Lukas groaned from underneath the table and tried to bury his head under his paws from embarrassment.

Just then, the doorbell rang.

_Saved by the bell,_ Mathias thought relieved.

_I'm not talking to you,_ Lukas responded curtly.

The witch gave Lukas a pout, to which the cat ignored.

_Aw, don't be like that!_

Tino went and answered the door while the exchange went on.

"Hello!" the cheery Fin said to the teenager on the porch. He was wearing an open, brown sweater over top of a white button-up shirt and jeans. He had purple eyes, like Tino, but they were brighter… almost unnatural. He also had white-blond, nearly silver, hair that hung in his face and framed his cheeks.

"Uh, hey. I'm looking for someone… am I at the wrong place?" he asked with a slight accent.

"Who are you looking for?" Tino asked with a smile on his face.

"Er, Lukas…"

"Lukas? You mean the cat, Lukas?" Tino tilted his head in confusion.

"Cat? Well, yeah… I guess so," the teenager said. "He's supposed to be wit-"

"Hi there!" Mathias said coming up behind Tino. "Who're you?"

The white-hair guy looked between Tino and Mathias confused before saying warily, "I'm Emil… I'm looking for Lukas…"

"Oh okej! I'll get him!" Mathias said without moving from the doorway. Moments later, Lukas shot out between their legs and outside. Emil watched after him confused for a few moments before shrugging and following after him.

"Thanks," he said before running off.

"That was weird…" Tino commented as Mathias shut the door.

The witch shrugged. "Weirder things have happened…"

* * *

When Lukas returned to the house a few hours later, he found the family sitting in the living room. Mathias was watching Peter play some sort of game…? Well, either way, they were both intently staring at the T.V., while Berwald was reading, and glancing up at the T.V. every now and then too. Lukas watched them for a bit before jumping on to the arm of the couch and then to the back of it and went over to his usual spot on Mathias' shoulder.

The witch subconsciously reached up and petted the familiar on the head.

_Hey Luke,_ he said distractedly.

_What's this? A game? _Lukas asked, watching Peter click buttons on a controller rapidly.

_Yep. Mario Kart is what it's called. I've never played it before though… seems fun! Maybe we should play it sometime…_

Lukas snorted. _I'm perfectly fine without touching one of those things._

_Hey, don't knock it 'til ya try it,_ Mathias responded with a shrug and Lukas gripped his perch with his claws in case he fell off at the witch's motions.

_Don't do that!_ Lukas reprimanded with a swipe at that ridiculous spikey hair. Mathias laughed and patted Lukas on the head. Lukas hissed a bit but eventually settled down and stared at the T.V., trying to figure out the game.

Finally he broke the silence, _What's the point of this game?_

_Racing, _Mathias replied. _You have to get in first place with, not only your driving skills, but also strategically using the items given to you by those blocks._

… _Sounds complicated._

_It just takes some getting used to. I'm serious, you should try it sometime Luke!_

_Erm, no thanks…_

_Aw, why no-_

A scream from upstairs broke their conversation. The people in the room looked at each other in shock.

"That' was Tino," Berwald said finally his eyes widening. He shot up out of his seat and ran upstairs with Mathias on his heels and Peter behind them.

Berwald found Tino in the bathroom completely drenched but otherwise unharmed. He was standing there next to the toilet in complete shock staring at them with wide eyes.

"Tino…?" Berwald said in concern.

"Yes! It worked!" Mathias exclaimed running past Berwald and inspecting the toilet.

"It worked?" Tino repeated dumbly, sopping wet.

"Yep! I've been working on this spell for ages!"

"What spell?" Berwald demanded.

Mathias looked at them curiously. "A cleaning spell. I thought it'd be useful since you guys were living here with me now."

_That's so stupid,_ Lukas said with an eye roll.

"Cool!" exclaimed Peter from behind Berwald. The younger brother just narrowed his eyes.

"An' it worked? Exactly _how_ di' it work? Tino's drenched, Mathias!"

"Yeah!" Mathias said happily, jumping to stand back up from his crouched position. "It's supposed to clean anything that's dirty. Guess you were pretty dirty, huh Tino?" Mathias joked to the Finn. Tino didn't find it very funny.

"Mathias," Berwald growled.

"Don't worry, don't worry, I'll fix it," the witch said, heading out of the bathroom to go to the basement.

_Idiot,_ Lukas said following the witch out.

"Erm, Mathias…?" Tino said, still frozen in place and starting to shiver from the cold water that's drenched his clothes.

"Oh right," Mathias said and wave his right hand casually in the air before leaving. A large gust of wind hit Tino and instantly dried his clothes and body, though his hair was now sticking up at all angles.

Tino looked at his hair in the mirror and made a face when it wouldn't go down after he tried flattening it.

"I wonder if tha's how he dries his hair after a shower…" Berwald commented offhandedly and Tino busted out laughing.

* * *

Notes: Mathias' House

Mathias' house is a small two-story, white house in a clearing in the middle of a thick woods. It has a front porch and a dirt driveway that will flood if it rains hard for a few days. Mathias keeps a bunch of plants hanging from the ceiling, sitting in the windowsill, and in pots in his kitchen since it has the most sunlight. Many of the plants are common herbs and other plants used for just regular cooking, but there are a few special ones that are used in his spellwork (they are well out of reach of a certain curious child). He also has a few minor protection spells on the house. They're mainly used to protect against the weather, but there are a few designed for warding against sinister prying eyes. And there are no spiders in the house... Mathias doesn't like (read: is afraid of) them.

* * *

A/N

Random chapter is random.

So my creative juices have all ran out recently, but thanks to my friend who texted me asking about updates, you can thank her for this one. I've just started on the last chapter for this, so I think this will definitely get done. I'll try my best on Waterloo, but yeah, it's been a bit hard for me to write. And then Natural Instinct still has no new progress but whatever. I'll try and finish it lol

Look forward to actual plot next chapter (lol please dont look forward to it xD)

Thanks for reading! Tell me what you think! :D


	5. Chapter 5: The Familiar

Chapter 5: The Familiar

Mathias was sitting on the couch in the living room reading a book. It always amused him to see non-magical humans' renditions of magic and witches. A lot of times, witches were seen as bad, but sometimes they've written good ones. Obviously, Mathias liked those the best, but sometimes he found the villainous ones interesting.

Tino was upstairs in the study, translating. He tried to do it every chance he gets because, admittingly, the house does sometimes gets a little chaotic with 3 people, a witch, and a familiar all living under one roof.

Berwald and Peter were also upstairs putting up a bookshelf in Peter's room. They went to IKEA (that's the only place Berwald liked to get furniture unfortunately… unless it was handmade) and they got Peter a bookshelf. The boy liked to read and was starting to gather a small collection of books… a lot of them were fantasy for some reason.

Lukas was… somewhere. Mathias didn't exactly know where. He just sort of took off this morning with a vague explanation of "looking for something". Of course Mathias was curious, but Lukas could very well decide what he wants to do on his own. So, Mathias let him have his freedom away from the overbearing family.

Mathias read a few more pages before he heard a car pull up to the house outside. Strange. Everyone was already home and he wasn't expecting any visitors. Did Berwald invite somebody over without telling him? It was possible. Or it could be Emil again…

Mathias stood up and put his book down before going over to the window. There was a beat-up old car that Mathias didn't recognize and he didn't see the driver anywhere near it. He looked around a bit before narrowing his eyes thought. Most cars don't just drive up to the house on their own without a driver. Then he heard banging on the door. Maybe there was a driver after all – probably Emil. He didn't see the guy's car last time anyway.

He went over to the door and opened it. He expected a cat. He expected a silver-haired teenager. Hell, he even expected the mailman. He was not expecting an angry, scraggily-haired man pointing a shotgun at his chest. Mathias paled and tried to quickly shut the door, but the man's foot blocked the way. He pushed the end of the barrel forward and Mathias put up his hands in surrender.

"Back up!" the man ordered in a deep, raspy voice, and Mathias slowly did as he was told. What should he do? Lukas wasn't here nor could he sense the familiar through their bond. He was probably too far away. "Are there any more of you damned witches here?"

Mathias' eyes widened. The man was a hunter! Mathias had never met one before but he's heard of them. Usually, hunters go after the witches that go darkside, but every now and then there will be a deranged one who will go after anything supernatural – good or bad. Hunters are generally very informed about the supernatural, but this guy seemed to have hardly any protection against magic at all, or at least from what Mathias can tell. He did have a bit and if Lukas was here it would be no problem to get past, but he wasn't. Mathias wasn't sure how this would pan out.

"Well? Answer me, witch!"

"No, there aren't any other witches," Mathias replied slowly in a low voice, his hands still raised up.

The hunter curled his lips. "Good. Now, get back! I've heard about you witches… where's your familiar?"

"Don't got one," Mathias lied. He concentrated on keeping calm and trying to find a safe way to deal with the hunter without getting anyone else involved. The last thing he needed was for the hunter to find the others. He wished he had his book at least. It stores magical energy which could've helped him in the place of Lukas.

The hunter narrowed his eyes at Mathias suspiciously. "Y'know what you are? You're vermin. You witches aren't supposed to be here. You're infestin' the world with your spells and disease."

"We don't cause disease," Mathias said offended. "We might be able to cure it-"

"Shut up! I don't care for your lies! Get against that wall!" The hunter pointed his shotgun at Mathias and then paused. "Y'sure there's no one else here?"

Mathias opened his mouth to answer but what he heard was not his voice. "Mathias?" The witch's eyes widened and he quickly glanced over to see Tino descending the stairs. The Finns eyes widened as he took in the sight of the hunter pointing his shotgun at a cornered Mathias.

"W-wha-!?"

"Tino stop! Stay!" Mathias interrupted as Tino began to take a step towards them. The Finn froze, scared and unsure of what he should do.

"I thought you said there was no one else here!?" The hunter cried indignantly, pointing his gun at Tino.

"He's not a witch!" Mathias said quickly. "Only me!"

When the hunter didn't remove his gun from Tino, Mathias mistakenly took a step into Tino's direction in an urge to protect his family. The hunter flinched and swung the shotgun back to Mathias and fired. The loud shot rang out and Mathias almost didn't register it. The world was silent for a few moments and then he heard Tino scream "Mathias!"

Mathias felt like the world was moving in slow motion. The witch looked down to where he was holding a hand over his stomach now. Blood was seeping through his fingers. He was shot…?

Then the pain hit him. He gasped and fell to his knees. "Stay Tino!" he gasped out.

Berwald came running down the stairs next with Peter right behind him. When he saw the hunter and the gun, he quickly pushed Peter behind him and Tino. Then he saw Mathias.

"Mathias!" he gasped.

"I'm fine Berwald, just stay there!" Mathias said from his place on the floor. He could feel himself getting dizzy from the blood loss already. But he needed to protect his family! He needed to do something! He needed… he needed…

The hunter was starting get nervous with the arrival of the new people. He knew Mathias was a witch but he wasn't sure about the others. Maybe they were the familiars he's heard so much about.

Still keeping his gun trained on Mathias, the hunter glared at the small family and asked, "Who're you? More witches!?"

"No, they're-"

"Shut up!" The hunter yelled at Mathias who started to answer. "I didn't ask you!"

"We're not hunters," Berwald said sternly, glancing between the hunter and his brother.

"I think you're lyin'," the hunter growled, pointing his gun at Berwald.

"Berwald!" Tino gasped as he pushed Peter behind himself. Peter grasped onto the back of Tino's shirt and tried not to cry. He was so confused. Why was that guy here with a gun?

Berwald glanced at Tino before putting up his hands to show that he was harmless.

"You witches, you shouldn't be here. You're not welcome! You should all be killed!" the hunter cried shakily. He glanced at Mathias who was slumped on the ground and now passed out from the blood loss. He pointed the gun back at Mathias. "Starting with him." He grinned and pulled the trigger.

Tino screamed and covered Peter's eyes while Berwald cried out "No!"

Before the bullet could hit Mathias, a man jumped in front of him with arms stretched out to the sides, shielding the witch from the shot. Even though he was standing in the way, the bullet never struck him. It was frozen in the air inches from the blond man in a weird disturbance of the air. The space in front of him was blurry and disoriented.

The blond man was taller than Tino but not as tall as Berwald and Mathias. His straight hair fell over his right eye but was pulled back by a clip on the left side. He glared at the hunter in front of him with deep, dark blue eyes that looked like they could glow in the dark.

The stranger glanced at the family. Then he slowly glanced behind himself at Mathias passed out on the ground. When he looked up at the hunter next, he was furious.

The hunter grabbed onto his gun like a lifeline and pointed it at the new man. "D-don't move!" he cried as the man began to stalk forward. The room was beginning to fill with static energy with each step he took, just like when Mathias started that spell to heal Peter's leg. Except this was ten times stronger. It was even starting to become visible around the angry man, swirling around him in a furious, confused mess.

The hunter backed up as the man got closer and shot two more bullets. Both bullets were flung to the ground as soon as they reached the swirling magic shielding the man. The new stranger brought up his right hand and said, "_Pereta_."

His eyes started to glow brightly as a small ball of fire appeared in his hand.

He brought his gaze up to look the hunter in the eyes. Then he said in a furious, low voice, "Last chance. Beg for forgiveness and I _might_ spare y-"

"Die, witch!" was the interrupting response as the hunter tightened his grip on the gun. He fired two more shots, but they were also flung to the ground.

"Your funeral. _Ialpon_." The ball of fire in his hand was suddenly shot out to the hunter. The hunter cried out and dropped his gun as he was burned.

"_Olpirt,_" the blond man said as he continued to stalk forward. A blinding light struck the hunter in the chest and he yelled in pain as he fell to his knees.

"_Alalare."_ As soon as the word left his mouth, white shining tendrils burst through the ground. They surrounded the hunter and grabbed his arms, legs, and torso to bring him all the way to the ground. Although he tried to struggle and break free, he was unable to move. He screamed at them but they ignored him.

The strange blond looked at the family and spoke to them for the first time. "He is unable to move. He will not harm you now." Then he glanced at Mathias, worry filling his eyes. "Berwald, please take Mathias up to his room. I shall be up shortly."

Berwald nodded and went to pick up his brother.

"Where are you going?" Peter asked.

He gave Peter a brief glance before saying, "Downstairs."

After the stranger disappeared into Mathias' basement, Berwald went over and carefully picked up his brother.

"Wait, Berwald," Tino said as he followed him upstairs with Peter close behind him. "Who is this man? How do we know we can trust him?"

The Swede shook his head. "We can't. Bu' he did protect us. An' he's goin' ta help Mathias."

Berwald quickly carried Mathias up to his room while Tino and Peter followed silently behind. The Swede could only guess what his wife was thinking now, but he really didn't want to worry about it right now. He gently set his brother on the bed and resisted the urge to gasp at the blood that was left on his shirt when he pulled away.

Just then, the man rushed into the room holding a familiar large book.

"Hey, isn't that Mathias' book?" Peter said. He knew the book was important to his uncle and he didn't want just anybody taking it.

"Yes," the man replied with a glance. He started to flip through the book as he continued. "I'm borrowing it. The spellwork is very intricate and I'm not sure if I will be able get it correct without its help. Tino, could you fetch me a bowl of water and a cloth?"

Tino jumped when his name was called and looked at Berwald uncertainly, but before he could do anything Peter cut in.

"But you can't use that! Uncle Mathias said it's important! It's been in the family for… forever!" Peter wanted to run forward and grab the book but Tino had grabbed onto his shoulders to keep him back. He still didn't trust this man.

"He's righ'," Berwald said, taking a step forward. "Who are ya an' how do ya know Mathias? Can we even trust you?"

The man glared at Berwald with blank eyes and Berwald just glared right back unperturbed. Finally, the man sighed.

"Look, I need to heal Mathias _now_…" He gave a quick glance to the witch on the bed and then back at the family watching him. With a sigh he continued on. "I'm Lukas Bondevik. I'm Mathias' familiar."

"No… Lukas is a cat," Tino said slowly.

"Familiars have two forms. Mine are a cat and this," he said gesturing to himself. "Now, I'll explain everything afterwards, just let me finish."

Berwald recognized the strange, bright blue eye color of the cat in the man's eyes and, after a moment, he nodded for Lukas to continue his work.

"Great, now Tino, I still need a bowl of warm water…"

* * *

Note: Familiars

Familiars have two forms, a human form and an animal one. Many familiars are cats but there are some birds and dogs and other forms. Lukas and his younger brother, Emil (here's the connection! ;D), are both cats. Familiars have their own magic. Generally, it is powerful but wild and uncontrolled. Without a witch or something else to channel it and keep it in check, their magic is hard to control and can be dangerous, which is why a familiar usually pairs up with a witch. Witches can tap into their familiar's power for a boost to their own spells since their usually not very powerful or have alot on their own. (And for those wondering... Xiao Wang is Emil's witch xD)

* * *

A/N

*cough* be gentle...

So! After weeks of procrastination, here's my update! Probably not at all what you were expecting, but I hope it's alright... (I'm still iffy on this chapter lol)... Next chapter will be the last, but I haven't written it yet (and I'm in Spain now), so it might be a long while before update it (or any story for that matter).

For those who wondered why Mathias acted embarrassed last chapter... I did say there was light DenNor in here ;D *hint hint* lol

And for those who are wondering now, Lukas is extremely shy and _very_ wary of non-magical humans... it took him a while to warm up to Mathias even. He doesn't act very shy, but he is. And this is also why Mathias kept saying "he's not a cat, he's a familiar". In his defense though, Mathias did tell Berwald about it over the phone, but Berwald wasn't paying any attention to his brother's ramblings. (I can imagine him talking about Lukas as a "sexy beast" xD)

Alright! Again, may be a while for the next chapter, but tell me what you think of this one!

Thanks for reading! :D


	6. Chapter 6: The Family

Chapter 6: The Family

When he first opened his eyes, the sunlight burned white and pain erupted through his muddled head. Mathias clenched his eyes shut and groaned while groggily moving a hand to rub his forehead. He tried to open his eyes again but more slowly this time.

There were spots in his vision and his mind still felt like it weighed a ton of bricks but he was able to glance around… his room. His bed… Why the heck was he still in bed? And empty…

The emptiness was a strange sensation. Mathias has never felt it before. It literally felt like part of him had been torn away and left a gaping hole. Mathias rubbed lightly at his chest in confusion.

What the hell happened?

He tried to think back to his last memory but everything was a blur. He couldn't make out any specific details. Ah! Lukas could help him! Where was…

Mathias shot straight up in his bed, ignoring the room spinning and the sudden pain the erupted in his head.

_Lukas!_

Where was he? Mathias couldn't feel his connection anymore. It wasn't like he was far away, it was more like a brick wall. He couldn't even feel the connection. The gaping hole… he was the missing presence in the back of his mind that was always there. Mathias never knew he could feel this alone. It was worse than the time Peter fell into the dried up river bed.

Oh. Right.

Where were they? Berwald, Peter, and Tino.

Mathias tried to get out of bed, but his legs shook horribly and the room kept spinning. He had to sit back down on the bed before he fell over. The door to the room creaked open and Tino peeked his head in.

"Oh moi! Mathias, you're up!" He came over to the witch still sitting on the bed who gave a pained smile to the Finn. "That's good!"

"Hej, Tino. Uh… what… what happened?" Mathias asked/groaned. There was still a dull ache in his head and it was hard to concentrate.

"You don't remember?" Tino asked worried.

"Er… a little…" Mathias lied. He actually couldn't remember whatever happened to make him feel this way.

"The hunter…?" Tino tried.

Oh yeah. That's right. It was starting to come back now. The man that had entered his house with a gun pointed at him.

Mathias' eyes widened. "The hunter…!" he gasped. "What happened? Where is he? Are you guys okay? God, I'm so sorry!"

Tino gave a small smile. "Mathias, it's okei. Seriously, it's alright. The hunter has been subdued… Lukas took care of him. He also healed you. I'll admit that that was scary to watch… a lot of things got broken," he added with a chuckle, nodding towards the empty space on the night stand where a lamp once stood.

"Lukas...?" Mathias repeated. The gaping hole…! That's what was missing! His connection with Lukas! He couldn't feel it at all! It was like a brick wall went up between them.

"Where's Lukas? What happened to him?" Mathias demanded. His concern skyrocketing. The witch knew he had gotten shot by the hunter and he knew it was dangerous for a familiar to perform such a powerful healing spell by themselves.

At that Tino's smile disappeared slightly. "Ah… about that… we don't really know."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, after Lukas helped you. He left with the hunter and hasn't come back. To be honest, Berwald's a little bit furious with him. He doesn't think Lukas should leave you alone right now, but what do we know right?"

Mathias furrowed his eyebrows. Lukas wouldn't… would he? He knew it was dangerous… tampering with dark magic… Surely, Lukas was smarter than that, right?

"I need to find him," Mathias muttered while trying to stand up. He stumbled a bit before Tino caught him.

"You need to sit down!" Tino cried. "Now, I know I'm no doctor, but seriously, you lost a lot of blood. You still need time to recover!"

"No, I really need to find Lukas. It's important!" Mathias said, struggling with the Finn. He took a few more steps toward the door before the room started to spin again.

"Just lay back down for a little bit longer!" Tino tried.

"I can't!" Mathias gasped still struggling with the Finn, which was also when Peter came in.

"Uncle Mathias!" Peter cried. "You're awake!" He ran over and gave his uncle a big hug around his waist. Mathias calmed down and returned the hug. "I was so worried!" Peter said muffled into his uncle.

Mathias smiled a bit. "Sorry kiddo." He should find Lukas right away. He was worried about what the familiar was up to, especially since he should be significantly weakened from using his magic to heal Mathias. But right now, he could afford some time to comfort his nephew. He felt his eyes droop, and maybe sleep a bit… yeah, sleep sounded good.

* * *

Berwald looked up from his cleaning when he heard someone come down the stairs. He was currently trying to clean up the blood that was left in the living room and the other broken things lying around. He supposed Mathias or even Lukas could clean in up in seconds with their magic, but 1: Lukas hasn't been seen since he healed Mathias two days ago, and 2: nothing works better than a bit of soap and elbow grease.

Tino smiled at his husband as he came downstairs. "Mathias woke up."

Berwald immediately stood up. "He did? How was he?" He made to go upstairs but Tino stopped him with a hand on his upper arm.

"He was a bit worked up and worried about Lukas, but he's sleeping now. We may have exhausted him already," Tino chuckled.

Berwald's look darkened at Lukas' name, but Tino continued before he could say anything. "Peter went to bed too. I think after everything we went through, seeing Mathias talk and move helped him relax some. I know you were worried about him."

Berwald nodded. "That's goo'. Wha' about you?" He swiped a thumb gently over the dark rings under Tino's eyes.

Tino grabbed his hand. "I'll be fine. I just wanted to make sure everything's okei. That reminds me… about us staying here with Mathias…"

Berwald tensed a bit and looked away. As much as he worried for his brother and wanted to remain here, Tino and Peter came first. If Tino wanted to go, then they will go. After all, their safety had been threatened and magic isn't always safe to be around.

"As much I think we should go, I believe we should stay here," Tino concluded. Berwald looked at him in surprise.

"Really…?"

"Yes. I know, I know. A good parent would want their child to be far away from the things that could harm him. Things that are unknown and mysterious. But I actually want Peter to know about these things and be aware of them. And besides, ever since we've been here, I've never seen Peter happier… or you."

Berwald's eyes widened. "Me?"

Tino chuckled. "Yes, you. I know how you are, Berwald. You complain constantly about your brother and magic and even Lukas. But I know you really care about him – Mathias, I mean. You missed your brother deeply when we lived away."

Berwald blushed a bit. He hadn't _that_ much… had he?

Tino gave him a small peck on the lips before saying, "Don't deny it, I know you too well."

Berwald shook his head with a small laugh. Tino really did know him too well.

But the moment between the two was broken when they heard the backdoor quietly open and close. Berwald looked over and saw a familiar cat slink into the house, and his anger rose. He quickly grabbed the familiar before he could escape and slammed him against the wall (well, not too hard of course. He was still a cat after all.).

"Where tha hell have ya been?" he growled. The cat transformed into the blonde man and glared darkly at Berwald.

"None of your business," he snapped back.

"Yes it is. What if somethin' happened to Mathias while ya were gone doin' who knows what? Did you even know he already woke up an' worried about ya?" Berwald tightened his grip on the familiar. "Ya better have a good explanation."

"I do not have to explain myself to you _humans_," Lukas said with a superior look.

Berwald looked like he was going to punch him but Tino cut in before he could do anything, "Guys, please! Berwald! Calm down. And Lukas, we live here too. We're Mathias' family – _your_ family. Don't you think we were worried about you too?"

They didn't say anything in response but Berwald loosened his grip and let the familiar go. After guiltily looking at each other for a few moments, Lukas spoke up first in a more relaxed tone.

"You, ah, said Mathias woke up?"

Berwald nodded. "Few minutes ago."

"That's good." Then he glanced at Tino. "Thank you for watching over in him in my absence."

Tino smiled. "Hey, that's what family's for right?"

Lukas gave a small, awkward smile back. "Right."

* * *

_I still don't get the point of this game,_ Lukas' thoughts echoed into Mathias' head as they watched Berwald and Peter play Mario Kart. The familiar was lying on top of Mathias's shoulders and wrapped around his head. He's been clingy ever since Mathias had been able to move around the house, which doesn't bother the witch any. Of course, Lukas won't admit it, and would shrug it off as making sure Mathias doesn't do anything stupid.

Mathias laughed. _You'll just have to try it out. It's easy once you get the hang of it._

Lukas purred softly in thought, and contently, as his tail brushed softly against Mathias's left shoulder.

_Maybe I will…_

Mathias rolled his eyes at Lukas' response. That meant never. The familiar was just too darn shy to ask anything like that.

Peter cheered as he beat his papa on the match. Berwald just groaned and leaned back onto the ground, and Tino patted his shoulder confronting. The kid really was good at the game. Of course, Berwald was never good at videogames in general anyways… and neither is Mathias actually but he wouldn't ever admit that. Tino on the other hand, was a beast at them. Especially, shooting games, Mathias learned. Tino apparently knew his way around a gun.

Peter looked at Berwald who was groaning about being done with getting beaten at the game. He looked around the room for his next victim. "Who's next? Mama? Uncle Mathias?"

Tino smiled and shook his head. "I'm good."

Peter looked at Mathias expectantly.

Mathias grinned. "Y'know… Lukas was wanting to learn how to play. Why don't ya teach him?"

Lukas dug his claws into Mathias and hissed. _Don't you dare! I can't believe you! Stupid Dane!_

Peter's face brightened. "Really? Yes! C'mon Luke! I'll teach you!"

Mathias just laughed as Lukas swiped a clawed paw through the witch's ridiculous hair, and complained and groaned through the bond as he jumped down off his perch on the witch. He transformed into his human form and took the offered controller from Peter.

Mathias smiled fondly as he watched his family. From Lukas and Peter bonding over video games, to his brother still lying on the ground, and to Tino sitting on the couch laughing at all of them. Not even magic could give him what Mathias had right now. Besides, what more could he ever want? He already had everything.

As Lukas was closely examining the controller and memorizing each of the numerous buttons, Peter walked over to Mathias and leaned into his uncle's ear to whisper, "Don't say anything but I think I liked Luke better as a cat."

Mathias laughed long and hard until he was red in the face and could barely breathe. Yes, he really did have everything.

* * *

A/N

Cheesy ending is cheesy.

First of all, let me say, I really did have this ending planned out from the beginning (*cough* Ana). Though it did turn out a bit differently than what I expected, I'll just tell you what happened to Lukas, because I couldn't really figure out how to put it in. Lukas basically took the hunter away and tortured him for a bit, so he did end up dabbling a bit in dark magic. He did get a stern lecture from Mathias and then a hug afterwards. As for the hunter, he's still alive, but who knows what happened to him... xD

Anyway, I do have an alternate ending! It's sadder and not as well written. I made it up just because I wanted to torture my friend with a sad ending, and I made her believe that it was the real ending I had planned all along for this story. I even quickly wrote the whole thing up just to "prove" my story xD It's a good thing I live across the world right now I think xD

So! Hope you liked this story and enjoyed it! (This is the first multi-chapter I've completed! :'D)

Thanks for reading and sticking with me! :D

I'll be putting up the alternate ending either later today or tomorrow! :)


	7. Alternate Ending: The End

Alternate Ending: The End

When he first opened his eyes, the sunlight burned white and pain erupted through his muddled head. Mathias clenched his eyes shut and groaned while groggily moving a hand to rub his forehead. He tried to open his eyes again but more slowly this time.

There were spots in his vision and his mind still felt like it weighed a ton of bricks but he was able to glance around… his room. His bed… Why the heck was he still in bed? And empty…

The emptiness was a strange sensation. Mathias has never felt it before. It literally felt like part of him had been torn away and left a gaping hole. Mathias rubbed lightly at his chest in confusion.

What the hell happened?

He tried to think back to his last memory but everything was a blur. He couldn't make out any specific details. Ah! Lukas could help him! Where was…

Mathias shot straight up in his bed, ignoring the room spinning and the sudden pain the erupted in his head.

_Lukas!_

Where was he? Mathias couldn't feel his connection anymore. It wasn't like he was far away, it was more like a brick wall. He couldn't even feel the connection. The gaping hole… he was the missing presence in the back of his mind that was always there. Mathias never knew he could feel this alone. It was worse than the time Peter fell into the dried up river bed.

Oh. Right.

Where were they anyway? Berwald, Peter, and Tino.

Mathias tried to get out of bed, but his legs shook horribly and the room kept spinning. He had to sit back down on the bed before he fell over. The door to the room creaked open and Tino peeked his head in. And just as quickly he looked in, he left.

A few moments later, Berwald came in. He… didn't look so good. He looked worn and tired. He didn't say anything to his brother as he crossed the room to sit on the bed next to him.

"How are ya feelin'?" he asked quietly after a long while. Mathias was confused. Why was his brother acting like this? Yes, he was usually quiet, but never this sullen.

"Em… confused, honestly. What… what happened?" Mathias answered. Berwald looked down at his hands over his lap and was quiet for a long time. Mathias thought he was going to speak up again after a while.

"You were hurt bad Mathias," Berwald started off slowly. "Real bad… didn't think ya were goin' ta make it. Nobody did. The bullet was too deep an' ya lost alo' o' blood. Lukas… he did everythin' he coul'…"

"And…?" Mathias pressed on. When Berwald didn't answer he started to worry. "Berwald, what happened?"

Berwald swallowed thickly. This was going to be hard to explain. "He… he… I'm sorry." He quickly rubbed his eye. "He loved ya a lot, y'know?"

Mathias narrowed his eyes. "Why are ya usin' past tense, Berwald?" he growled suspiciously. He could only guess, but he prayed it was wrong.

"Enough ta risk his life fer ya." His younger brother sighed. "I'm sorry, Mathias. I'm so sorry…"

Of course, Lukas would do anything for him… even if it meant using any amount of magic necessary. Magic was, of course, a literal part of a familiar. If he drained his magic too low, it could be fatal… And saving a person's life from near-death… required too much magic…

With that simple statement, Mathias knew. He knew his best friend was gone. His lover. His life-long companion. He jumped up, ignoring the pains shooting through his body.

"Where?" he demanded of Berwald. "Where!?"

Berwald could only point in the direction of his and Tino's room.

Mathias raced down the hall to their room and opened the door, only to stop in the doorway. Lukas was lying on the bed in his human form. At first glance, he looked like he was just asleep, but Mathias knew better. He knew he like to spread out and cover the entire bed when sleeping in either form. And he tended to snore too.

Mathias shakily approached the bed and dropped to his knees when he reached it. He gripped Lukas' hand. It was stiff and cold.

"No…" he whispered brokenly. "No, no, no… Please! No!" He stroked the soft blonde bangs lovingly and fixed the crooked barrette in his hair. "Please Lukas, please! Please wake up! I love you…"

Mathias slowly lowered his head on to the bed, still gripping his lover's hand tight, and cried.

* * *

A/N

Um... yep. Sorry it's not very good, but like I said, this one was really just a joke anyway xD

Also, even though Masthias really did lose alot of blood in the other ending, the bullet missed anything vital, so Lukas could heal him pretty easily.

Anyways, tell me what you think lol and thanks for reading!

You've been awesome! :D


End file.
